Monday morning you sure look “fine”

With all due respect to Fleetwood Mac, allow me to borrow a line from one of their songs for my potpourri title today. “Fine” is one of those multi-purpose words, but its most elegant use is from our friends in Scotland.

In one of my favorite movies “Rob Roy” with Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange, Roy would tell his wife “you are fine to me” on more than one occasion. It meant far more than just fine, it meant she was attractive to him in more ways than one.

Here in the states fine is more used to say things are a little better than OK when asked how they are. Or, it could mean you are OK with an action when asked, So, the difference in tone can mean a great deal. If curtly used, fine may mean they are OK, but I don’t want to talk about it. I sometimes say “they are more than fine” to describe even better conditions.

Of course, it can also mean monetary penance either as a noun or verb. Recently, Fox News had two fines for defamation, one for $787.5 million and one for $250 million. After those fines, things are certainly not fine in the land of the Fox.

The funniest use is the response to a question of how attractive a woman is to an infatuated person. “She is so fine, the fine folks call her fine.” And, even Rob Roy would smile at that and call it fine.

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Monday morning you sure look “fine” – December 6, 2021

Since I believe I have used this title before, I will date this post. Fleetwood Mac fans will recognize the title as a lyric sung by Lindsey Buckingham in “Monday Morning.” The word “fine” has different meanings that fall in and out of favor. It also takes on different meanings with the tone of your voice.

It can mean things are going OK and don’t ask any more questions with a rebuttal tone. Or, it can mean a certain action is OK with you when askef permission. With a more welcoming response, fine can mean things are better than OK, actually pretty good or even good. And, it can be used as a noun to mean a penalty one must pay for a transgression.

My favorite meaning is from older times. Using a line from the Liam Neeson movie “Rob Roy,” about an honorable and heroic Scot, he would tell his wife, played by the lovely Jessica Lange, “You are fine to me.” In this case, he is telling her how beautiful she is to him. So, we have gone from OK to good to punitive to beautiful with one word.

It also finds itself in humor. I will avoid using a very funny, but very risque line from Richard Pryor in his bit the “Wino and the Junkie.” This is far from a PG line, so if you embark to hear it, you have been forewarned. Yet, it does address a couple of the definitions above in one sentence. One of my favorite cleaner lines about being “fine” comes from an unknown comic; “She is so fine the fine folks call her fine.”

After having my COVID booster shot on Friday, I am now fine after a sluggish Saturday. I may not look fine in the eyes of the fine folks, but I do feel fine and hopefully will avoid any fines in the future. Since it is the holiday season and we are eager to see friends and familly, let me quote two lines from the song “Fine fine day” by Tony Carey:

“It’s a fine, fine day for a reunion
It’s a fine, fine day for comin’ home”

Things are so fine, it has to be said twice. Have a fine, fine day.